Advertiser receives OCNA awards
Newspaper's editorial pages, education writing named best in province
FERGUS – Wellington Advertiser staff were recently recognized in various categories in the 2025 Ontario Community Newspaper Association (OCNA) Better Newspaper Competition (BNC).
Winners were announced on April 24 at the OCNA awards gala in Collingwood.
The Advertiser placed third in the General Excellence category for papers with a circulation of 8,001 and above.
The newspaper was also recognized in the following Premier Award categories:
- Best editorial page/section, first place;
- Best Education Writing, first place, Robin George;
- Best police/court story second place, Robin George;
- Humour Columnist of the Year, second place, Kelly Waterhouse;
- Local retail layout, second place, Alicia Roza;
- Feature writing (circa over 8,000), third place, Jordan Snobelen;
- Best Rural Story, third place, Robin George;
- Best feature/unit pages, 3rd place, for an Estate and Funeral Planning feature;
- Original ad idea, third place, Alicia Roza; and
- Best community newspaper website, third place, wellingtonadvertiser.com.
“It was great to see our publication and staff place top-three in so many categories,” said Advertiser publisher Dave Adsett.
“Having Robin win best education story and our editorial pages noted as the best in the province was very gratifying this year.
Community News
The Advertiser’s sister publication, the North Wellington Community News, which covers Wellington North, Minto and Mapleton, was recognized in two Premier Award categories:
- Best use of colour, second place, Emily Hughes; and
- Best feature/unit pages, second place, for a Fire Prevention Week feature.
The complete list of winners can be found at ocna.org.
